Circle the wagons and gather up your women and children

During one of the debates in the Republican primary for Governor between Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Debra Medina, in response to somebody’s concern about Texas’ looming budget shortfall, Perry responded (and I’m going by memory here) that he’d already faced this in 2003, and that he wasn’t worried about it this time, because he’d take care of it now the same way he took care of it in 2003.

Problem is, in 2003, the way Perry and the Republican leadership took care of the budget shortfall is that they cut programs benefiting folks who don’t have deep pocket corporate lobbyists. Most notably, children and lower- and middle-income working Texans don’t have those kinds of lobbyists. In a related story, in 2003, they slashed funding for children’s health care, and hundreds of thousands of Texas children went without health insurance coverage, so the Republican leadership could brag that they balanced the budget.

So it’s notable that Perry recently said in the debate that he’d attack the problem now the same way he attacked it then, because then, Texas families felt like they were the ones under attack.

Except that now, the just-passed health care reform bill passed by Congress apparently contains a provision specifically prohibiting states from cutting kids off CHIP or Medicaid.

So who will the Republican leadership victimize next, if they can’t cut health care? What’s important to you? How effective is the lobbyist paid to protect that program? Does your priority even have a lobbyist? How much money did that lobbyist contribute to the Republican leadership?

Are the lobbyists trying to make sure we have quality neighborhood schools as good as the ones representing multinational corporate interests? Can the lobbyists fighting ever-rising college tuition rates go toe-to-toe with the lobbyists representing the big oil and gas companies? Will the lobbyists who want to make sure rural Texans have access to health care be able to prevail against the lobbyists fighting on behalf of electric utility companies?

Rest assured, when a budget shortfall looms, every decision a legislature makes is a zero-sum game: everything one interest gets will be at the expense of another interest. For every dollar I convince the legislature to invest in my deal, they will subtract $1.75 from your deal. So who do you think is protecting your deal, Rick Perry?

Governor Perry is the one who said he’d do it now like he did it before. The Governor should be asked the specifics of what that means between now and November, before Texans wake up the following June after the legislature meets, and sees the price tag of Republican legislative priorities.

When it comes down to it, it will be a lot easier to lobby voters to cast their ballots for Democrats in November, than it will be to lobby legislators to vote for Texas families’ priorities in January.

Comments

One Response to Circle the wagons and gather up your women and children

Oh, and in 2003 Perry hurt the elderly, poor and mentally ill in addition to children. He’ll go after anyone who has isn’t rich and can’t hire lobbyists and give him money. You are absolutely straight on that we’ve got to get Perry out in November!! Getting anything through the Lege is problematic always and correcting policy if Perry is elected again would be hard if not impossible. Good post!

Subscribe via email

Follow me on Twitter

About the Site

Written by Harold Cook, Letters From Texas is a humorous look at politics and current events, as seen through the eyes of a progressive Texan in a bad mood.

"A freaking riot.... Kudos to Harold Cook."
Evan Smith
Editor-In-Chief
Texas Monthly Magazine"Harold Cook may be hazardous to your health…I have very real concerns that this blog is dangerous to the physical safety of Texas progressives."
Mary Mapes
Former Producer
"60 Minutes" - CBS News"...our favorite political soothsayer and comedy stylist (well, next to Karl Rove)..."
Wayne Slater
Senior Political Writer
Dallas Morning News"Harold Cook, who once tried to run over one of my reporters with a van full of senators, has now decided to run over everyone in sight with his new blog...."
R.G. Ratcliffe
Capitol Bureau Reporter
Houston Chronicle"[Cook] is just twisted. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. Sort of. Laugh uproariously when it's really freakin funny .... And shake your head, eyes covered, when it's just too...too...too."
Karen Brooks
Capitol Bureau Reporter
Dallas Morning News